WHAT NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY CAN DO FOR YOUR NETWORK TODAY

Transcription

1 E-Guide WHAT NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY CAN DO FOR YOUR NETWORK TODAY SearchSDN

2 : S oftware-defined networking (SDN) and network technologies are being combined to fundamentally change our approach to networking. This exclusive guide will enlighten you on how these burgeoning technologies are being used to create a new networking foundation. PAGE 2 OF 9

3 : WHAT NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY CAN DO FOR YOUR NETWORK TODAY Ethan Banks The SDN market may be in its early days, but network technology has already reached general availability. This new product is making it possible to virtualize even very large networks. As a result, enterprise IT teams can finally automate network provisioning and better integrate network resources into overall IT operations. Yet it can still be difficult to determine how to evaluate these new products and where to begin with implementation. The good news is that there are ways of using network in hybrid scenarios that don t require a complete rip-and-replace. WHY BOTHER WITH NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY? BUSINESS DRIVERS Operational efficiency is the major driver for network. While storage and server resources can be virtualized and automatically provisioned, the network has lagged behind. In s network, the provisioning process is complicated and slow. PAGE 3 OF 9

4 : In order to make even a simple change, networking teams currently go through a lengthy process that includes planning the change and then submitting it for review through a change control system. That system requires other people to consider and approve (or disapprove) of the proposal. Then the change is executed by admins or engineers, and finally it must be verified to see if it is working as expected. This process is woefully inefficient and is more likely to lead to human error. It can also take days or even weeks to complete a change. Network, however, enables the automated provisioning of network services like virtual LAN (VLAN) creation, Ethernet port provisioning, load balancing and firewall policy maintenance. With automation comes a reduction in provisioning time, as well as a reduction in the potential for human error. Network technology also has the potential to reduce network operational expenses and capital expenditure as well. With network, IT teams can make the most of their existing physical hardware because users can build multiple distinct environments on top of one physical infrastructure. Similar to the way service providers separate customer traffic across a common MPLS infrastructure, enterprises can use network to build virtual networks, each of which contains its own rich PAGE 4 OF 9

5 : set of services, including routing and switching, plus Layer 4-7 services like firewalling and load balancing. Going forward, network has the potential to reduce the cost of the underlying network hardware itself. The idea is that the underlay network can be simplified to be that of a high-bandwidth Ethernet fabric that is capable of ultrafast switching and routing, but doesn t require rich functionality beyond that. That richer functionality would be moved into the software layer at the virtualized network edge. In that case, the underlay network might not have to wear the badge of a premium network vendor. In fact, several startups are proposing alternatives, espousing a model of low-latency, high throughput, inexpensive white-box switches that focus on fast transport but leave the complex Layer 4-7 forwarding decisions to the virtualized network. YOUR EXISTING TECHNOLOGY MAY BE READY FOR NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION For those convinced that network would benefit their organization, the next step is perhaps the hardest: How does an organization begin moving towards virtualizing its network? It s key to first understand that network is not an all-or-nothing proposition. While ultimately it has the potential to displace traditional technology, network can PAGE 5 OF 9

6 : be introduced alongside an organization s existing infrastructure. There are a number of ways to implement this hybrid scenario. Organizations can start by investigating their existing network capabilities. Firewall and load-balancing vendors often offer a virtualized form of their hardware appliance. However, it is a mistake to think of simple virtualized appliances as actual network. In a true network environment, Layer 4-7 functions can be spun up at will, isolated to a specific virtual network and be part of a service chain. Beyond that, though, network teams should realize that their existing networks are able to forward overlay traffic, such as what runs in Virtual Extensible VLAN tunnels. In addition, they could query their networking vendors about their offerings that are specifically aimed at hybrid scenarios. For example, network switches already in production might be OpenFlow-capable, making it possible to run both SDN and traditional traffic on the same infrastructure at once. PAGE 6 OF 9

7 : SDN AND NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION: HOW DO THEY WORK TOGETHER? Jim Metzler, Ph.D. HOW IS NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION IMPLEMENTED IN A SOFTWARE-DEFINED NETWORK? The goal of SDN-based network is to decouple a virtual network from a physical network. You want to create these virtual networks quickly with diverse requirements -- low latency, security separation, etc. -- and want to be able to have a programmatic interface. Considering, more and more network functions are being automated. There are a variety of ways network can be implemented in a software-defined network. One approach is when a controller implements Layer 2 and Layer 3 constructs -- bridging and routing, if you will. I can use Layer 2 constructs to provide bridging between virtual machines. Sticking with that, I can use Layer 3 constructs to provide routing between my Layer 2 networks. PAGE 7 OF 9

8 : Overlay networks and SDN is another way of doing network. With overlay networks, there are competing approaches. The market is still spending time thinking about them. In SDN, OpenFlow is a standard, but how the controller implements network is not standardized. When thinking about overlay networks, it s really a traditional approach. You re saying, I have a problem. I m going to encapsulate it. One protocol runs on top of another protocol. A cynic would say, That s building a tower of complexity, but with SDN, it s really a new approach, and you can strip away some of that complexity. It s exciting. It s a new way to think about things differently. With network overlays, there is the potential for added complexity, but SDN can significantly reduce that complexity. There is a significant need for network, and it fits in with major trends and things we are trying to do in IT: be faster, cheaper and have more agility while being costeffective. Network overlays are the traditional approach, but the fact that there are many vendor options may slow deployment. SDN is a fundamental change -- it can do network and add value, but the price you pay is that it s a fundamental change in how you do things. PAGE 8 OF 9

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